When an incoming call is being received, a telephone provides a sound, such as a ringing sound, to alert people proximate to the telephone that the incoming call is being initiated, and provide these people with the opportunity to place the telephone in an off-hook condition by, for example, lifting a handset of the telephone, to thereby complete a connection and accept the call.
Conventional telephones typically provide a user with an opportunity to adjust the ringing sound. For example, some telephones allow a user to adjust the volume of the ringing sound. Other telephones allow the user to turn a ringer of the telephone off by, for example, placing a corresponding switch into an off position. In each of these examples, however, the telephone remains in the set condition until the user resets the telephone. For example, if a user of a conventional telephone manipulates a switch to turn the ringer off, the ringer will remain off until the user repositions the switch to turn the ringer on. Similarly, if a user of a conventional telephone adjusts a volume of a ringer, the volume will remain at the set level until reset by the user.
A user of a conventional telephone may forget to readjust a previous setting of the telephone based on changed conditions. For example, a user may turn the telephone ringer off when the user goes to sleep because the user does not want to be disturbed. Upon waking, however, the user may forget to turn the telephone ringer back on. Thus, the user may miss an important telephone call when the user is otherwise predisposed to accept the telephone call. Conversely, a user may forget to turn the ringer off when the user goes to sleep, and thus be awakened by the ringer associated with an incoming telephone call when the user prefers not to be interrupted. Similarly, a user may place a baby down for a nap, only to have the baby awaken prematurely due to a nearby ringing telephone. There is thus a need for a telephone with a ringer that adjusts based on the environment, such as a telephone that does not ring when it is dark.